Federal Budgeting Process


Overview/Description
Preparing and approving the US budget is one of the most important and difficult jobs of the president and Congress. In this course we examine how the annual federal budget is put together. The course begins by defining what the budget is. It seeks to understand how budgetary power is shared power employed under a system of checks and balances made possible by the separation of powers. The course sets down the actual budgetary process and charts how the budget is presented, negotiated, signed into law, and monitored. The course is aimed at those in the federal sector who wish to understand in a concise and straightforward manner how the federal budgeting system works today. SkillSoft's Legal Compliance course on the Federal Budgeting Process is developed and maintained with subject matter support provided by Christopher Yukins, Associate Professor of Government Contract Law, The George Washington University Law School, and Peter McKeen, a member of the adjunct faculty, University of Virginia Procurement and Contracts Management Program.

Target Audience


Federal government employees; employees of federal agencies; supervisors of federal employees; managers of federal employees; employees who buy goods and services from the private sector for the federal government; employees who deal with the public who are looking to obtain permits, licenses, and address other regulatory needs

Expected Duration


1.0 hours

Objectives :

The Federal Budget Cycle

  • sequence the stages of the budget process
  • recognize the purpose of the federal budget
  • The President's Budget

  • match the stages of the executive budget process to the types of activities that take place during each
  • identify the date by which the president must submit the proposed budget to congress
  • The Congressional Budget Process

  • identify the courses of action that Congress may take when the president submits a proposed budget
  • Budget Enforcement and Execution

  • differentiate between examples of direct and discretionary spending

  • Course Number: fgov_01_a08_bs_enus